Of Nightmares and Pixies
by BK Love-ah
Summary: Lacey's second year. Muggle-born students get Petrified, and to make things worse, Lacey is having dreams about her sister's murder. Second story of 7, telling of Lacey's magical journey. I DO NOT OWN HP, only Lacey and her family. R&R!
1. Return to Diagon Alley

_**Alright! Like I said before, this story will be longer than the first. So, enjoy!**_

**0oooooooooooooooo0**

"Lacey, time to get up!"

"Please, just five more..." I would have drifted back to sleep before Mum came in with a bucket of water, but then I remembered why I had to get up so early. "Oh! The mail!" There was only a week left until my second year at Hogwarts would begin, so I was expecting a letter any day. I knew my letter must have arrived; otherwise, I wouldn't have been woken.

I practically jumped out of bed, almost sending Belle flying. I ran down the stairs, and sure enough, Dad was holding my Hogwarts letter.

"Yay!" I took the letter and opened it. It congratulated me for my work in my first year, and that the professors were looking forward to seeing me again. There was also a list of the supplies I needed for that year. Quite frankly, it was a very long list. "Boy," I said, "I hope we'll be able to find all of this."

"Of course we will, dear," said Mum. "Diagon Alley always has everything." She took my letter and examined it. "As for these books, they'll probably be at Flourish and Blotts." I nodded. My parents always knew what to do. I got excited again.

"So when are we going?" Dad chuckled.

"Sweetheart, school doesn't start for another week."

"I know, but isn't it better to get a head start?" I looked at him hopefully. He looked at Mum, who smiled. Then, he leaned toward me.

"We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning." I couldn't suppress a squeal of delight as I threw myself into his arms.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I spent the whole day getting my things together, despite Mum's assurances that I "didn't have to rush." But I couldn't help it. I had been waiting all summer for this. Granted, the summer was lovely, and it was nice to have a break from schoolwork. But I missed my friends.

As I found the Gryffindor flag that I had at the first Quidditch game of first year, I thought of Ron, Hermione, Harry, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, and of course, Neville. I hadn't seen anybody over the summer, so I was looking forward to seeing them again.

The rest of the day went by incredibly slow, but finally, I was in bed. But needless to say, I couldn't get to sleep. It was easy for Belle, though. I just lay back, staring at the ceiling. _I wonder what will happen this year_. I thought for a long time about what awaited me and the rest of the second-years at Hogwarts. Suddenly, my eyes started to close...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next morning, I was up before Mum came in to wake me; I actually met her on my way down the stairs. I practically stuffed my toast down my throat. When I threw on my clothes and went to the fireplace, I noticed that my parents were still in their bathrobes. The three of us burst out laughing. I waited for them to eat breakfast and get dressed. Finally, they joined me at the fireplace. On the mantle, there was a glass bowl filled with Floo Powder.

"You go first, Lacey," Mum said.

"Alright." I took a handful of the powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" I threw down the powder and was consumed by green flames. An instant later, I entered another large fireplace. I stepped out and waited for Mum and Dad; they arrived just moments later. I took a deep breath as we walked into the crowded area of Diagon Alley.

It was great to see all of the shops again. To me, the streets had always seemed so colorful and full of life. Our first stop was at Amanuensis Quills (still as pricy as ever, but I needed new quills very badly). Next, we visited Slug and Jiggers Apothecary to get potion ingredients. As we left the store, Dad wandered off, muttering about having to "run a special errant." Mum brought me inside Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get my school robes.

I examined them. It was very nice material, but it was a bit pricy. I looked up at my mother.

"Mum, if this is too much, we could just go to the secondhand shop." She smiled and shook her head.

"It's alright, dear. I want you to look perfect for your second year. Let me just get Madam Malkin and tell her your size." She wandered off, and I kept looking at the robes. A few moments later, I heard a voice behind me. It was the absolute last voice I wanted to hear.

"What are **you** doing here, _Ravensdale?_" I spun around and looked right at Draco Malfoy. He had grown a bit, and was a few inches taller than me. He still looked as arrogant as ever. I stepped away from the robes and glared at him.

"Why _wouldn't_ I be here?" He grinned evilly.

"Heh. People like you aren't worthy of **new** robes." He looked at me like I was a cockroach. "You'd find _suitable_ ones at the secondhand store. Fit in better there, too." I looked around exaggeratedly.

"Well, Malfoy, nobody's bothered but you."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. You should know that **actual** wizards don't like seeing scum in fine places like this." That was it. I took a step toward him.

"You're right about that. **I **certainly don't enjoy the sight of this **joke** of a boy in front of me." Malfoy was about to say something, but he suddenly looked past me. A tall figure that was clad in black moved in front of me and stood next to Malfoy. He shared his arrogant look, and also had pin-straight white-blonde hair that went down to his back. _Okay, this __**has**__ to be the father_. I was right.

"Son," he said suavely, "who's your _friend?_" He said "friend" in the same disgusted tone that his son had used. Malfoy grinned and answered.

"It's the...**person** that I told you about, Father." Mr. Malfoy suddenly smiled. It was an evil smile, as if he was pretending to be polite.

"Ah, I see. You must be Lacey Ravensdale." I tried not to back away, but he was starting to scare me a bit.

"Yes. And..." I paused for a moment, trying not to sound rude. "_You_ must be...Draco's father." He nodded curtly.

"Lucius Malfoy." He stepped past his son and bent down toward me. He had a very cruel look in his eyes, but I couldn't turn away. Somehow, I felt stuck. "You know, I once had the pleasure of meeting your **sister**." My heart nearly stopped when I heard this monster of a man speak of Arabella. I tried to say something, but then, I felt two firm yet gentle hands on my shoulders.

"I'm back, dear." I had never been so relieved to hear my mother's voice. I looked up at her, and saw that she was glaring at Mr. Malfoy. "Lucius." He smiled again.

"If it isn't Abigail. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Mum nodded politely.

"Yes, not long enough." I could hear the barely-veiled scorn in her voice. She looked at Draco. "I've heard a great deal about your _son_." His expression didn't change, but he looked up at his father, as if he wanted his defense.

"Likewise about your daughter. As a matter of fact, before you came over, I was telling her about-"

"Lacey doesn't need to know _anything_ from you," Mum said sharply.

"Oh, come now," said Mr. Malfoy, chuckling softly. "You're not still mad at my trying to lead you in the right direction, are you?" I was confused.

"I hardly think that making life miserable for Muggle-borns is the 'right direction'." _Muggle-borns? What about them?_

"Well, that's your opinion. Whether you ally with wizards or...inferiors is completely up to you."

"Well, I have a different definition of 'inferior' than you do, Lucius." Mr. Malfoy got a bit less arrogant and a bit angrier.

"Be careful. You should bear in mind the fact that your way of thinking is **exactly** what killed your daughter." I went to say something, but my mother squeezed my shoulders a bit harder, and I knew she wanted me to keep quiet. She suddenly moved me aside and took a threatening step towards the two Malfoys. Neither one seemed affected.

"Watch what you say about my family, Malfoy," Mum said dangerously. Never in my life had I heard my mother sound so angry; even when I would get in trouble, she wasn't **nearly** that scary. She and Mr. Malfoy locked eyes for a few moments before the latter spoke.

"Come along, Draco. We've got your robes, and we'd best leave before this store gets sullied." When he said "sullied," he looked right at me. He walked past Mum and went out the door. Draco followed him, but not before turning back to me and twitching his eyebrows at me again. As soon as they were gone, I turned back to Mum.

"Are you alright?" She waited a bit before answering.

"Yes, sweetheart." She took me over to Madam Malkin, where I was measured. Not ten minutes later, my new robes were packaged and we were going out the door. After walking for a few minutes, I turned to Mum.

"Want to sit down?" She nodded. We sat down on a small bench outside of the ice cream store. "I'm sorry that he upset you."

"Oh, it's not your fault," she said, chuckling softly. "It's just...I really don't like him. He was a fifth-year prefect when your father and I were in our seventh year. Gryffindors were his primary target for singling out, so it was hard to avoid him. He was always preaching about the 'dangers' of associating with Muggles." _How horrible!_

"I wonder what ever made him so full of himself." Mother suddenly turned towards me.

"Well, Lacey, some wizard families think that they're more powerful because they're purebloods. That means that their blood is **completely** magical. Not _one_ drop of Muggle blood."

"Are all pureblood families like this?" She shook her head.

"Goodness, no! In fact, most pureblood families treat other wizards, even Muggles, like equals. I mean, the Weasleys love Muggles, and they're purebloods. And your friend Neville's parents were both purebloods." I smiled and nodded.

"So there are just some families that are plain...nasty?" She nodded.

"Yes. Nasty."

"Hey, Lacey." I looked up to see Dad. When I saw what was in his hand, I nearly jumped for joy.

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_**So what do you think about chapter 1? Review and let me know! :D**_


	2. Reunions and Return

_**I hope you like this chapter!**_

**Amazing-** Thanks so much, I'm so glad you liked it. And I'm glad you enjoyed OPAT, too! I hope you find this chapter satisfactory. =)

**Hollie-x-** Aww, thanks so much! I appreciate it, and I'll do my best to keep the story good for all of you. :D

**Amanda-** I'm so glad! Thanks a lot =D

**0ooooooooooooooooo0**

"Dad! What did you do?" My father was holding a broomstick. He smiled.

"Well, since second-years can have broomsticks, I thought you should have one." I leapt forward and hugged him.

"You two are spoiling me rotten!" The three of us laughed. Then, Mum put her hands on my shoulders again.

"We should hurry up if we want to get into Flourish and Blotts. Looks like it's getting really crowded."

"It is?" I looked at the entrance to the bookstore, and indeed, more people were flocking in by the minute. "Oh, wow." We started towards the store, but before we took much more than a few steps, I saw someone I recognized.

"Hey, Lace!" Ron Weasley and his family were walking towards us. I smiled.

"Hey, Ron." Then, I saw Hermione next to him. "Oh hello, Hermione!" She smiled at me.

"Hey, Lacey!" I turned to introduce my parents, but Dad was already leaning forward to shake Mr. Weasley's hand.

"Hello again, Arthur." Mr. Weasley smiled.

"Bernard! Great to see you!" He stepped back and allowed Mum and Dad to meet Hermione and the Weasley children. Then, I noticed a redheaded girl with them that I didn't recognize. Ron followed my gaze.

"Oh, Ginny, this is Lacey Ravensdale. Lace, this is my sister Ginny." I extended my hand, and we shook.

"Nice to meet you, Lacey."

"Pleasure's mine." Suddenly, I saw that one of the people before me had black hair...and a scar on his forehead. "Harry!" Harry Potter smiled at me.

"Hi, Lacey. Nice to see you again."

"And you." I turned to my parents, who seemed a bit shell-shocked. Then, my mother extended a hand to Harry, and he shook.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Potter." Harry shook his head modestly.

"No, the honor's mine, Mrs. Ravensdale." He then glanced at me and smiled. I smiled back, remembering how much we related to each other. My father then stepped up, and they shook hands.

"We've heard great things about you from Lacey, Mr. Potter. About you kids, too," he said, looking at the Weasleys. Ron looked proud of himself.

"Is that so?" Hermione glared at him, and Fred (of the identical twins Fred and George Weasley) smacked him on the back of the head. I chuckled slightly, as did everyone else.

"Well," said Mr. Weasley, speaking to the kids, "I think we'd better get going if we're going to get your things." He turned to me and my parents. "It was great seeing you all."

"And you," said Dad. We said our good-byes and went in separate directions, us in the direction of Flourish and Blotts. We walked into the store and were able to push our ways in. Up front, there was a well-dressed man with reddish-brown hair signing books. He was surrounded with cameras. My mother gasped.

"Oh my goodness! That's Gilderoy Lockhart," she whispered to me. "He's done amazing things in the wizarding world." I nodded. When I looked at him again, he seemed to be basking in the attention that was being paid to him. I shook away the thought as my parents and I practically hacked our way around the store and found my required schoolbooks. By the time we exited the store, we were sweating like farm animals.

"That was fun," sighed Dad. I giggled. _This will be a good day._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

In the week that followed, I could talk or think of nothing but Hogwarts. Quite frankly, it was driving Mum and Dad a bit loopy. The day after we went to the alley, my Hogwarts trunk was officially packed with everything I needed. It stayed next to the door for so long, a little bit of dust had settled on it when the time finally came to leave for the train station. _Well, Hogwarts,_ I thought to myself happily, _here I come!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

We weaved our way through the Muggle-packed train station to find the entryway to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Eventually, we found the brick wall between the 9 and 10 signs. Grasping my cart, I ran at the wall, and in an instant, was looking at the shiny Hogwarts express. I sighed happily. Mum and Dad came through the passageway a few moments later.

As we started walking toward the train, I saw many fellow students that I recognized. From a ways away, I saw Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, the Patil twins, and...

"Lacey!" I turned, and saw the person I was looking for jogging towards me.

"Neville!" By the time he had reached me, he was out of breath. I looked at him and smiled. "Goodness, be careful or you'll start hyperventilating." He chuckled slightly.

"Good to see you again, Neville," said my father. Neville nodded; he would have said something, but then, his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, walked over to us.

"Oh. Nice to see you again," she said to us. My parents smiled. Augusta then turned to her grandson. "Neville, where's Trevor?" Neville reached into his pocket.

"He's right..." His hand came back out with nothing in it. "Oh, no! Trevor! Trevor, where-" He stopped mid-sentence when his grandmother reached into her red purse and pulled out the brown toad.

"Take extra care of him this time, boy." Taking the toad and putting it in his pocket, Neville nodded timidly.

"Yes, gran." I smiled slightly. Then, the train whistle blew loudly.

"Oh," Mum said, "You kids had better get on or you'll miss it!" I nodded. An attendant loaded our luggage onto the train, but I kept Belle (in her disguise, of course) with me. Neville and I climbed on. I immediately ran to an open window and leaned out as the train started moving. I saw Mum and Dad waving at me and blowing kisses.

"Bye, Mum! Bye, Dad! Love you!" They waved at me, saying that they loved me as well. I waited until they were out of sight, then left with Neville to find an empty compartment. After a few minutes, we found one. I stepped inside and placed Belle down on the padded bench. Neville stepped in and closed the door behind him. He sat down across from me and smiled.

"Well," he began, "hi." I smiled at him.

"Hi. So, how was your summer?" He leaned back.

"It was alright. I didn't do a lot, though. What about you?"

"Well, summer was nice, but I missed Hogwarts a lot. The thing is, when I'm away from Hogwarts, I get...lonely." Neville looked a little surprised.

"Really? Why wouldn't you hang out with your friends?"

"Well, you and the others live really far away-"

"No, I mean _Muggle_ friends?" I shook my head slowly.

"None." He looked even more surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I never made any friends at my Muggle school. They didn't want a thing to do with me. They said I was weird, different." Neville frowned.

"I'm sorry." I smiled at him.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." He smiled at me.

Something I loved about Neville back then was the way he smiled. Honestly, it made him look adorable. To me, his smile made him look exactly as he was; shy and caring. Belle stirred comfortably on my lap as the train ride continued on.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After what seemed to last forever, we were in our robes and back at Hogwarts. Our trunks, along with the cages that held our pets, were left on the stone step. We entered the Great Hall and witnessed the Sorting Ceremony, which resulted in Ginny Weasley being put into Gryffindor. Percy, Fred, and George seemed very proud of their little sister. Looking at them, I suddenly realized...

"Where's Ron?" Hermione looked at me and shrugged.

"That's what I was thinking. And Harry's not here either." I glanced over, and sure enough, there was an empty space where Harry should have been. I looked at Neville, who looked equally concerned.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

That night, I was hanging out in the common room with Neville, Dean, Seamus, and Parvati, much like I had that one night last year. Seamus was bragging about traveling with his parents. When Parvati asked if he had blown anything up where he was, we all laughed. After a few moments, Seamus laughed too.

We had just started talking about where Harry and Ron might be when the common room door opened. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall walked in with the two boys right behind her. She turned to them, bid them goodnight, and left. They walked over to us, and we started bombarding them with questions.

"Where were you two?"

"Did you get in trouble?"

"What the devil happened?"

"Oh," Ron said casually, "Just a little tussle with a flying car and the Whomping Willow." With that, he and Harry went up to the boys' dormitory, leaving the rest of us very confused. They always had a tendency to leave a room without finishing a story.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day was our first day of classes. Our first class was Herbology; the unit was Greenhouse Three, and our professor was Professor Sprout. We were all dressed in worn smocks, and we each had a pair of earmuffs. On the table were large pots; some were empty, while the others had leafy stalks sticking out of them. Professor Sprout walked into the room.

"Good morning, everyone," she said in a normal voice. There were still several people talking, so she tapped her wand against one of the pots and spoke louder. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning, Professor Sprout," we said in unison.

"Welcome to Greenhouse Three, second years. Now gather 'round, everyone." We stepped up so we were right against the table's edge. The professor turned around to get a pot with a stalk in it. "Today we're going to re-pot Mandrakes." She placed her pot onto the table in front of her. "Who here can tell me the properties of a Mandrake root?" Needless to say, Hermione's hand went into the air next to me. She was called on, and she proceeded to give the correct answer, thus earning Gryffindor ten House Points.

Sprout went on to tell us that while the otherwise-fatal cries of the seedlings on the table won't kill yet, they can still render one unconscious for hours. As soon as she gave the instructions to take the earmuffs, I put mine on and pressed the flaps down tightly. Sprout began to demonstrate the un-potting process.

"You grasp your Mandrake firmly. You pull it sharply out of the pot-" She did this right as she said it, and everyone's hands instinctively went to their ears. The baby Mandrake looked like a baby made of dirt and roots. **Not** a pleasant sight.

"Got it? And...now, you dunk it down into the other pot and pour a little sprinkling of soil to keep him warm." She did this as the Mandrake continued crying. Then, from across the table, Neville swooned and collapsed onto the ground. I gasped slightly. _Oh, no! Is he unconscious?_ Professor Sprout sighed. "Longbottom's been neglecting his earmuffs." Further down the table, I felt a spark of anger when I saw Malfoy smile and chuckle with his friends. Seamus leaned toward Neville's collapsed form and then popped back up.

"No, ma'am, he's just fainted." I silently let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes, well, just leave him there," the professor said. Seamus looked back down at Neville. I did the same. Then, I felt Hermione elbow me slightly.

"He's fine," she whispered. After a moment, I nodded. Sprout continued.

"Right, on we go. Plenty of pots to go around. Grasp your Mandrake and pull it up." We did so, and the room was filled with numerous cries of the grotesque roots. Mine was quite thin, but it didn't make it look any better. Suddenly, I had to hold in a laugh when I saw Malfoy's Mandrake bite his finger.

**0ooooooooooooooooooo0**

_**I hope everyone liked this chapter. I'll have the next one up ASAP! =D**_

_**Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews!**_


	3. Howlers, Pixies, and Potions

_**Enjoy!**_

**0oooooooooooooooo0**

Everyone was in the Great Hall at their respective House Tables. At the Gryffindor table, I was reading a thoughtful letter that Mum had sent me.

_ Lacey,_

_ Your father and I miss you something horrible. The house just feels so empty without you in it. But nevertheless, I'm sure you're enjoying your time at school. Tell me everything that's happened with you so far. Nothing bad, I hope? I love you, dear._

_ All our Love,_

_ Mum_

I smiled. Then, I heard a loud screech. Dean looked up and spoke.

"Ron, is that your owl?" Further down the table, Ron looked up, instantly recognizing his owl. It swooped down, colliding with a bowl of chips. From around the Great Hall, there were bouts of laughter. Ron shook his head with shocked disdain.

"Bloody bird's a menace!" He took the letter from the owl's beak; the owl then took to the air and was gone. Ron gaped in horror at the red envelope in his hand. "Oh, **no!**" Snickering, Seamus spoke.

"Look, everyone! Weasley's got himself a Howler." There was more laughter.

"Go on, Ron," Neville said next to me. "I ignored one from my gran once." He looked away, as if he was reliving something unpleasant. "It was horrible." Terrified, Ron started to open the envelope. The letter suddenly flew up and seemed to become a mouth. My hands shot up to my ears **just** in time.

**"**_**RONALD WEASLEY!**_** HOW ****DARE**** YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY ****DISGUSTED!**** YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S **_**ENTIRELY**_** YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER ****TOE**** OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU ****STRAIGHT **_**HOME!**_**" **Wide-eyed with pure terror, Ron nodded at the letter. The letter then turned to Ginny, who was sitting further down the table, and spoke in a gentler and much quieter voice. **"Oh, and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are **_**so**_** proud."** Finally, it turned back to Ron, made a ribbon-raspberry at him, and tore itself into tiny bits. Ron sat wide-eyed in his seat, looking horrified. Nobody could think of anything to say to the poor bloke.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of that year was interesting, but we didn't learn a thing. Actually, no, forget I said that. We did learn one very important thing: contrary to popular belief, there really is such a thing as a stupid teacher.

"Let me introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. _Me_." Gilderoy Lockhart, the same man I saw in Flourish and Blotts, stood at the top of the staircase that led to his office. He looked as if he deserved a king's throne. Slowly descending down the stairs, he started to speak of his "great accomplishments," like being the five-time winner of the _Witch Weekly_ Most-Charming-Smile Award. I rolled my eyes slightly. _Wow,_ I thought to myself. _It's like he prays to himself at night._

"Now, be warned," he said, looking overly dramatic. "It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind." He tapped a draped cage with his wand, and it wobbled. "You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here." _Not bloody likely._ "I must ask you not to scream." He reached toward the cage. "It might _provoke them!_" He ripped the drape away from the cage, revealing that it was full of tiny blue people with wings.

"Cornish pixies?" asked Seamus with a smile.

"Freshly caught Cornish pixies," affirmed Lockhart. Seamus couldn't help but laugh. "Laugh if you will, Mr. Finnegan, but pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters. Let's see what you make of them." I was shocked when Lockhart opened the cage, sending the pixies flying at us. One flew directly at me, and I instinctively throw myself to the floor.

Taking my wand out, I got to my feet. The room was in total chaos. Students were running all over the place, pixies were breaking anything they could get their hands on, and Neville was hanging from the chandelier by the collar of his robes.

"Please, get me down!" He started thrashing about, so much that I was afraid the chandelier would collapse from his weight.

"Neville, stop moving or you'll fall!"

"I can't help it!" he said. "They won't stop-" A pixie started hitting him with a pencil, and he cried out in pain. Thinking quickly, I raised my wand and pointed it at the pixie.

"_Flipendo!_" The pixie was thrown back. Neville looked at me.

"Nice!" I smiled. The day before I left home, Dad had taught me that spell. He said that I could use it if I needed to get something bad away from myself. I wondered if it could get bad things away from others, and I suppose that I was correct in thinking that. Lockhart had climbed the staircase again.

"I'll ask you three to just nip them back into their cage." He then ran into his office and shut the door. _Three? What's he mean by- _I suddenly say Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the front of the classroom.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked. A pixie dived at my head and started pulling at my hair. Luckily, I heard Hermione speak.

"_Immobulus!_" Every single pixie stopped right in midair, floating helplessly around the room. I sighed in relief as I pulled the paralyzed pixie out of my hair. Up on the chandelier, Neville sighed.

"Why is it always me?" I chuckled slightly as I stepped forward and pointed my wand at him.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_." The spell gently lifted him from the chandelier, and I slowly brought him back down to the ground. "Maybe you're just special," I said. He smiled.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day, I had Potions. It was **not** fun. Professor Snape was in a bad mood. Then again, he always was.

"Today, you will be brewing a potion that will, if made _correctly_, enable the drinker to go a month without water for each sip. This potion, _in order to be accepted_, must be aquamarine in color and possess no odor. The recipe is found on page forty-six in your textbooks." I took out my book, as did the rest of the people in the room. "You have one hour, starting now."

Everyone sent to work. The ingredients were on each working table. At my table were Dean, Neville, Seamus, and myself. I looked at the recipe. _Bring the flame under the cauldron down to an inch...add a cup of water...stir for two minutes...add three blades of star grass...stir for forty-three seconds...add a very small pinch of camel hair..._ It looked very complicated. Neville seemed equally worried. He glanced at me, and I smiled empathetically. Nevertheless, I got to work.

Half an hour in, my potion was in the right form, but it was yellow and smelled like maple syrup. I looked at the rest of the cauldrons at the table. Dean's potion was lumpy, red, and smelled of a dirty owlry. Seamus had nothing in his cauldron, the former contents having blown up in his face, which was once again covered in soot. I looked over at Neville and saw that he was having trouble stirring his potion.

"What is it?" I whispered. Neville looked at me.

"It's getting stuck!" he whispered back. "Help me, please?" He didn't even need to ask. I had abandoned my potion when he began the question, and by the time he said 'please,' I was tugging at his mixing spoon. But I couldn't budge it. The potion was now completely rock-solid.

"What is..._with_ this thing?" I was tugging even harder now. Suddenly, without warning, the top half of the cauldron broke off, sending the hardened potion, the spoon, and me flying backwards. I crashed into someone, and then landed on my bum. When I looked up and saw who it was I had crashed into, I wished I had hit my head on the floor and passed out.

Snape, who was observing the table next to us, turned around to glare down at me. Several people started laughing, including Malfoy and his friends. Scrambling nervously, Dean and Neville bent down and swiftly hoisted me onto my feet, quickly pulling me away from Snape and back to the table. The laughter died down as Snape, still glaring at me, slowly stepped toward me. I willed myself not to break down, but I backed up against the table, still clutching the potion-encased spoon.

"Give me that, you foolish girl," said Snape calmly yet angrily, snatching the spoon out of my hands. He took the last step to our table and lowered the spoon, placing it onto the table.

He then proceeded to circle the table and examine the cauldrons. He eyed Dean's potion and sneered. Next, he went to Seamus's empty cauldron. "Of course," he muttered, earning a stream of giggles from the Slytherins. Then came mine. He lifted a spoonful of it and examined it. "Dreadful," he said, putting the spoon back into the cauldron. More laughs. Finally, there was just poor Neville.

He looked at the other half of the cauldron and then held the spoon with the frozen potion in the air for all to see. "This is the result of pure **stupidity**." I looked at Neville, who looked like he was about to cry. Snape placed the spoon back onto the table and addressed the class. "If you want to know what you should **not** do, look at this table." I looked down, as did the others. As Snape started to walk away, I looked at Neville and smiled.

"Hey," I whispered, "at least yours didn't have an odor." He smiled and gave a small laugh, but this moment of fun was short-lived.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." Dean gasped and glared at Snape, as did the rest of the Gryffindors in the room. Snape turned back around and took a few steps toward me. He looked down at me and spoke. "You might want to modify your sense of humor, Miss Ravensdale, and with it, your ability to do things _correctly_." As he turned around and walked away again, I heard Malfoy snicker. I looked at the people at my table, and they shrugged, as if they were saying 'It's okay.' At least Gryffindors were understanding.

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_**Yeah, that's right, I'm cranking them right out! BTW, what did everyone think of **__**Deathly Hallows-Part 2**__**? I thought it was AWESOME!**_


	4. The Dreams and the Chamber

_**Hello, readers! I hope you enjoy this one!**_

**Nestling-** **I'm so glad you like it! I'll work my way to the fifth as quickly as I can, don't you worry =D And as for Neville and Lacey, I'm not giving anything away just yet...[raises eyebrows and winks] Anyway, thanks again, and I hope you like this one!**

**0oooooooooooooooooooo0**

I made a full recovery at dinner that night. Dean and Seamus gave speech after speech about how losing those 20 points wasn't my fault.

"I'd have done the same thing had I the spine for it," Dean said. "We're happy you did it."

"Thanks, you guys, but for the seventh time, I'm fine. I mean, I'm not glad, but it could've been a lot worse."

"I really don't like him," Neville said next to me, sulking.

"Who would?" Seamus said, and he chuckled along with Dean. However, Neville didn't cheer up.

"He didn't have any right to treat you that way," I said to him.

"But he's right. I **am** stupid. That's all I keep hearing from everyone. 'Oh, what's _stupid_ Neville done this time?' 'Blimey, Longbottom, you're so _stupid._'" I turned to him and patted him on the back.

"Hey." He hesitated, and then turned to look at me. "_I _don't think you're stupid at all. You're nowhere **near** being stupid." He gazed at me for a very long time before he finally smiled. I smiled back and looked at the long table where the professors sat. Seeing Snape there made me feel angry. _How __**dare**__ he make Neville feel this way? How __**dare**__ he make __**any**__ of us feel bad? What's he have against us, anyway?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After we finished dinner, the prefects started leading us back to our common rooms. We hadn't been walking for five minutes before we were stopped by a horrifying sight.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker Mr. Filch's cat, was hanging from a torch holder by her tail. She looked like she was dead. Standing a few feet away from her was Harry, with Ron and Hermione close behind him. My eyes drifted to the wall, and I gasped. Across it, written in blood, were the words-_**The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir...beware.**_ For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was happening. Then, I heard an arrogant voice.

"'Enemies of the Heir, beware?'" Malfoy glanced from the writing over to the Gryffindors. "You'll be next, Mudbloods." Pure hatred struck me like lightening. When my father went to school, Slytherins would often call him that. He told me that it was the most foul and vulgar term that one could use against a Muggle-born. It meant just what it said; "dirty" blood. I _**hated**_ that word; I still do.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Filch's voice carried over the students as he pushed through us. "Go on, make way, make way." He stopped when he saw Harry. "Potter. What are you...?" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Mrs. Norris. His voice quivered as he spoke again. "M-M-Mrs. Norris?" After a moment, Filch glared at Harry. "You...you've murdered my cat." Harry shook his head.

"No...No."

"I'll kill you," said Filch, nodding almost maniacally. He lurched forward and seized the collar of Harry's robe. "**I'll kill you!**"

"Argus?" Dumbledore emerged from the crowd of Slytherins, followed by Professors McGonagall, Lockhart, Snape, and Sprout. "Argus, I..." He noticed what was on the wall. He spoke calmly yet urgently. "Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately." We turned to leave. "Everyone _except_...you three." He gestured at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The rest of us turned and started to leave. Before we turned a corner, I glanced back at the three of them. _Be careful, you guys._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It didn't take me very long to go to sleep. Given the circumstances, I was surprised at this, but I suppose it was make-up sleep for being overexcited about my return to Hogwarts. With Belle curled up next to me, I drifted off...

**It was glowing an eerie blue around me. I tried to sit up, but I fell back down. Then, I noticed that there were wooden bars around me. I looked up to see a spinning mobile. **_I'm in a crib._ **I looked through the bars and realized that I was in our living room. Peering through the bars, I looked around. The room looked as if there had been a struggle. **

**Then, I noticed a dark substance on the walls, and on the rugs. **_Blood. _**I followed the dots, and to my horror, they got bigger. Finally, I saw a dark pool next to a body. The body was of a seventeen-year-old girl, and she had deep wounds all over her. Her dead eyes were staring at me, and it seemed as though they might run me through. I suddenly screamed as I realized that who I was looking at was my dead sister...**

"_**No!**_" My eyes shot open, and I sat up. Panting heavily, I saw that I was in my bed at Hogwarts, not a crib. The walls were made of stone, not of blood-stained wood.

"Lacey! What is it?" I turned to my left. Hermione, already clad in her pajamas, was standing next to my bed. I stared at her, trying to calm myself down.

"What?"

"You were moaning and turning around in your bed. And you just screamed."

"I'm sorry. It was a...bad dream." _A __**very**__ bad dream._

"What of?" I took a breath.

"My sister. I saw her...body. There was...so much...**blood**..." Hermione say down next to me and patted my shoulder.

"I'm sorry that happened. Do you often have nightmares about her?" I slowly shook my head.

"Actually, no. This was the first one." I shocked myself with this. I had never had any type of dream about Arabella before tonight. Why was that? Why _**now?**_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Everyone seemed really on edge the next day. And not just the students, either. The professors all looked grimmer than they had before. In Transfiguration, Hermione asked Professor McGonagall the question that was burning in everyone's minds-What exactly _was_ the Chamber of Secrets?

She went on to say that it was a legendary chamber that housed a monster; this monster could only be controlled by the heir of Salazar Slytherin, the founder of the Slytherin House. She also mentioned that after countless searches, the chamber had never been found.

Later that night, this was all that anyone could talk about in the common room.

"What do you think's inside of it?" Seamus asked us.

"Probably a troll," guessed Dean. By now, I had heard so many different theories from several different people, and I was getting a bit tired of it.

"Can we **please** talk about something other than monsters in hidden chambers?" I asked rather harshly. I got up and left the sofa, going over to sit at a desk. I took out a piece of parchment and tried to think of something to write that would make me seem normal. I heard someone pull up a chair and sit next to me.

"Are you alright, Lacey?" I turned to Neville. He looked worried.

"I'm fine," I said. I looked back at my paper, trying to think of something to write. Still, I felt him staring at me. I turned back to him. He was looking at me like he didn't believe me. I smiled at him. "Really, I am." I got up and went up to the dormitory. When I saw that nobody else was in there, I transformed Belle. I sat on my bed, and she immediately climbed into my lap and started to lick my face. "Thanks, Belle," I said, holding her close to me. She seemed to know exactly how to make me feel better.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"**No,** _**please!**_" I shot up yet again. The bars were gone, as was the corpse of Arabella. Without hesitation, I grabbed Belle and left the dormitory. _Maybe I'll feel better if I sit in front of the fire for awhile._ I sat down on the sofa as Bella purred softly against me. I stared into the flames, concentrating on the light. Then, I felt someone sit down next to me. I didn't have to look to see who it was.

"You don't _look_ okay, Lacey." I turned to Neville. He was wearing red pajamas with fuzzy blue slippers.

"What're _you_ doing up?" I asked quietly.

"I couldn't sleep. Trevor's gone again." I flashed a tiny smile. So did he. "And nice try." I took a breath and turned back to the fire.

"I've been having dreams." I paused.

"Bad?" I nodded.

"About Arabella, when she died." Another long pause.

"Maybe you should talk to Dumbledore," Neville suggested. I shook my head.

"No. With what happened last night, he's probably got enough to worry about." I started thinking about the Chamber again. _That hasn't happened before. Why is all of this happening now, and at the same time? It's really starting to bother me..._

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_**I hope you liked this chapter, everyone!**_


	5. Quidditch and Blood Oak

_**Hello again! Read on =D**_

**0ooooooooooooo0**

One thing I really missed was watching the Quidditch games. They were both fun and suspenseful at the same time. Ever since our victory at the beginning of first year, I had always felt confident at the start of every game. However, during this game, my confidence melted away.

"Another goal for Slytherin!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed over the speakers. I could tell that there was no enthusiasm in his voice. "They lead Gryffindor 90 to 30." I shook my head. _**Not**__ good._

Before the game, I was **not** happy to learn that Malfoy was the new Seeker for the Slytherin team. I had asked myself how he even got on the team in the first place. After seeing the Slytherins with their new Nimbus 2001s during a practice, I guessed that his father probably bought him a spot. _Oh, well,_ I thought. _If he's no good, that's all the better for us._

The game progressed normally until something unusual happened. I looked out and saw that Harry was being chased by one of the Bludgers. Standing several feet above all of us, Hagrid looked through his binoculars.

"Blimey! Harry's got himself a rogue Bludger!" He raised his finger to point at the out-of-control ball. "That's been **tampered with**, that has!" My eyes went wide when I saw Ron raise his wand; he had accidentally snapped it at the year's start, and despite taping it back together, it didn't work well for him at all.

"I'll stop it." I let out a breath of relief as Hermione's hand shot out and lowered Ron's wrist.

"_**No!**_ Even with a proper wand, it's too risky. You could hit Harry!" I looked at the stand where the teachers were.

"I really hope Dumbledore does something!"

Suddenly, Harry flew into the stands in pursuit of Malfoy and the Golden Snitch. They were running a hidden race to catch the little ball of gold. After a few minutes, Malfoy came flying out. He was tossed off his broom, flying into the air and landing hard on his bottom. I smiled to myself. _Maybe he doesn't deserve severe harm, but a sore bum may shape him up a bit._

All eyes went back to Harry, who was chasing after the Snitch with an outstretched arm. Unfortunately, the rogue Bludger soared toward him and collided with his arm. It was definite that his arm was broken. Nevertheless, he continued on. Reaching out his good arm, he lunged forward. His broom turned over, and he fell down onto his back, sliding to a stop. We gasped.

"Let's go," Hermione whispered to Ron, and they immediately set off. I looked up at Hagrid, and then at Neville. He nodded at me and urged me forward. Without hesitation, we made our way down the stairs. As we did so, I could hear the announcement that Gryffindor had won the game; my heart leaped with joy. We got out onto the field just in time to see Hermione destroy the Bludger as it made one last attempt to bash him to a pulp.

"I think my arm's broken," I heard Harry say as Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, myself, Neville, and other students circled him. Professor Lockhart kneeled down next to Harry.

"Not to worry, Harry. I will fix that arm of yours straightaway." Harry looked at him fearfully.

"No. Not you."

"Oh, the boy doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart. He took Harry's arm and gently rolled his sleeve up. Harry whimpered slightly. "Now, this won't hurt a bit." He took out his wand and pointed it at the limb. He then uttered an incantation that I'd never heard of before. There was a bright blue light. Lockhart picked up Harry's arm and, to everyone's revulsion, it went completely limp. I grimaced and closed my eyes. "Ah, yes, will, that can sometimes happen," Lockhart stuttered, "Ah, uh, but the point is..." He lifted Harry's limp wrist and bent it backwards. The hand practically stuck to the upper wrist.

"Oh, _God!_" I whispered.

"...You can no longer feel any pain." Lockhart was smiling, as if nothing was unusual about this. "And very clearly, the bones are not broken." Hagrid looked furious.

"_Broken?_ There's no bones _left!_" Harry's hand flopped back down and hung limply from the wrist.

"Much more flexible, though," Lockhart said. I rolled my eyes. _This from the man who's supposed to help us defend ourselves. Heaven help us all._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hagrid helped to move Harry from the field to the hospital wing. Once there, I saw that Malfoy was making a show of his fall, moaning and groaning like you couldn't believe. I couldn't help but giggle. Madam Pomfrey didn't buy this, though.

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy, stop making such a fuss. You can go." She made her way through the students huddled around Harry's bed. "Out of my way, _out of my way!_ He should have been brought **straight** to me." She was holding a potion bottle that had the form of a skeleton. "I can mend bones in a heartbeat, but _**growing them back...**_"

"You _will_ be _able_ to, won't you?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, I'll be **able** to, certainly. But it'll be painful." She poured some of the potion into a glass. "You're in for a rough night, Potter. Regrowing bones is a nasty business." She handed the glass to Harry, and he took a sip. An instant later, he spat it out. He looked like he had just drunk the fluid from Muggle batteries. "Well, what do you expect? _Pumpkin juice?_" Pomfrey took the glass back and started to refill it. Then, she turned to us. "Run along, all of you. He won't get better any faster with all of you standing around him. _Go on, then!_" We immediately started to disperse.

"Feel better, Harry, "I said to him quickly. He tried to smile at me, but he was still grimacing from the taste of the potion. With that, we all left.

While walking to the common room, I told Neville I'd join him and the others in a minute. I then went to the nearest lavatory. It was located in a very large hallway. I remembered that I had a bad reputation with large abandoned hallways, but as I've heard some Muggles say, "When you've gotta go, you've gotta go!" After doing my business, I started to head back. But needless to say, who should be walking down the hallway towards me? Of course.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is, boys." I rolled my eyes, ignoring the snickers of Crabbe and Goyle as they stood next to Malfoy. I tried to walk past them, but Malfoy stepped in front of me and blocked my way.

"You want to get out of my way?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Or what, Ravensdale?" He folded his arms and sneered at me. I folded my arms and glared at him.

"Or I'll report you to the Headmaster." Malfoy smiled, while Crabbe and Goyle started laughing wildly.

"Wow, I really am truly terrified." He unfolded his arms and gave me an evil grin. "You're all talk and no action." I pushed my way past him and started walking. "Just like that father of yours." I stopped in my tracks. _Whoa. If he even thinks about playing the family card..._ I heard him and his cronies walk toward me. They stopped in front of me again.

"Oh, please. You know **nothing** about my father."

"Is that so? Well, _**my**_ father told me that _**your**_ father would _never_ actually fight back. He would always just give empty threats." I glared at him hatefully, trying to keep myself calm. "Can't say I'm surprised, though, since he'd never know how to use a wand. Him being a dirty Mudblood, and all that." _In through the nose, out through the mouth..._

"I'm warning you..."

"What about **Mrs.** Ravensdale? Being _stupid _enough to fall for something as **sullied** as him..." I turned back around.

"I don't have to listen to this." But the vile thing wasn't finished.

"And not to mention their _daughters_." I froze in my tracks. _If he says one...more...__**word**__..._ "My father was right, you know. Your sister practically **signed** the warrant for her own death. She wasn't **nearly** smart enough to-" He never finished that sentence. With a loud scream of fury, I spun around and punched him in the jaw with all the strength I could muster. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground. I leapt onto him and started beating him with my fists.

"You don't know _**anything**_ about her! You're nothing but **trash!** _**Never **_speak of her like th-" I felt a strong hand on my arm. It yanked me off of Malfoy and onto my feet. I looked up into the angry face of Professor Snape.

"What on **earth**, you little fool!" He reached down and pulled Malfoy to his feet by his hood. There was a bit of blood on his lip from where I hit him. I tried to lunge at him again, but I felt gentler hands on my shoulders pull me back.

"That's enough, Miss Ravensdale," Professor McGonagall said firmly. Snape turned to Crabbe and Goyle, who had been standing where they were the whole time.

"How did this start?" Crabbe pointed a pudgy finger at me.

"She just attacked him for no reason!" My fury returned.

"It's not true! Malfoy said-"

"_Enough!_" Snape nearly shouted. He turned to McGonagall. "I think we can clearly say that Miss Ravensdale is the one that started the brawl." I went to protest, but he was too quick. "What do you suppose would be an appropriate punishment?" McGonagall released my shoulders and stood next to Snape.

"Twenty Points from Gryffindor." I lowered my head in shame. Malfoy smiled. But the professor wasn't done. "As well as from Slytherin." The grin on Malfoy's arrogant face instantly vanished.

"_What?_ You saw her; she attacked me!"

"Indeed, Mr. Malfoy. However, who's to say that **physical** wounds are any more severe than **emotional** wounds?" He glared at me, while I silently felt a sense of justice.

"May I say, Minerva," said Snape, looming over me, "that due to the severe _physical _damage that Miss Ravensdale inflicted upon Mr. Malfoy, she deserves a punishment _just_ as severe." I glared up at my Potions professor. After a moment, McGonagall spoke.

"Very well. Severus, please accompany Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing. I will take Miss Ravensdale to the Headmaster's office, and _**he**_ will decide what to do about her." My heart caught in my throat. _Oh, God. I'll get in so much trouble! Mum and Dad will be so angry with me! What if I get expelled?_ McGonagall motioned for me to follow her, and I did. We began the walk to Dumbledore's office. "I must tell you how disappointed I am in you, Miss Ravensdale."

"I know," I said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"You must learn to control your temper in the future." I nodded. Finally, we were at the eagle gargoyle. The professor stepped in front of it. "Go on." I stepped onto the first step. "Sherbet Lemon." To my surprise, the gargoyle started to move. It twisted upwards in a spiral motion. After a few moments, it stopped in front of a large door. I took a few steps towards it and stopped. _Should I knock?_ I was about to when it suddenly opened. It was Dumbledore.

"Ah, Miss Ravensdale. Come right in." I was so scared that I immediately complied. _He knew I was coming?_ His office was huge. The walls were lined with bookshelves and knick-knacks. There were paintings of past Headmasters, as well. A small staircase led to his desk. He led me to the chair in front of it.

"Sit down, please." I did so. He then took his spot across the desk and paused. I internally braced myself, expecting him to start scolding me.

"I'm terribly sorry about what happened, Miss Ravensdale." I was a bit shocked. _I just beat up someone, and he's apologizing to me?_ He seemed to read my mind. "It is true that you could have handled the situation in a less...violent manner." I nodded. "But still." I looked at him. He gazed back at me with gentle blue eyes. "None of the things Mr. Malfoy said about your family were true. I trust you know that." I nodded.

"Yes, sir." He sat back in his chair.

"You know, I remember when your parents attended Hogwarts. They were both very clever and gifted young Gryffindors, much like you." I smiled, as did he. "Actually, your mother was once sent here for breaking a Slytherin's nose. But she was a good student." It took all of my strength to not laugh. "And your father. He did _incredibly_ well in Charms class." I smiled widely at this. _Oh, so do I!_ "And there aren't words to describe your sister. She was remarkable." I nodded and smiled.

"Yes," I said. "Most of my professors have told me how great she was."

"Indeed. And you, my dear, have done _extremely_ well here." I shook my head.

"No, sir. I'm nothing compared to them." Dumbledore leaned forward slightly.

"May I see your wand?" I dove into my pocket, retrieved my wand, and gave it to him. I was a bit confused. He examined it carefully. "Do you know what kind of wood this is, Miss Ravensdale?" I thought back, trying to remember what Mr. Olivander said...

"I think it was...blood oak."

"Yes. Do you know why it's named so?"

"Because it's the color of blood?"

"That is true, but let me tell you this." He handed me back my wand. "Blood oak is a very _special_ type of wood. Wands constructed from blood oak are very _choosy_ when it comes to their owners." He leaned forward a bit. "They only choose an owner if he, or in this case, she, have powers beyond anyone's comprehension." I gasped slightly. _Powers beyond anyone's...What?_ "So perhaps, you might be even more brilliant then your parents." I wanted to deny it, but...I was just in awe.

"Well, maybe, sir," I stammered, "But at the very least, I could never be as great or as _brave_ as Arabella. I mean, she...gave her life for me. I could never do anything like that. And even if I had the courage, I don't have the actual magic powers." Dumbledore gazed at me with a gentle smile.

"Well, Miss Ravensdale, I understand your concerns. However, I once heard a wise person say: 'Some people are born great. Some achieve greatness. And some have greatness thrust upon them.'" I smiled. _How did he know? _Moments later, I answered my own question. _He just does._ "So maybe, there is a cocoon of bravery and magic power beyond belief brewing inside you; it just may not be time for it to hatch." I looked at him and nodded.

"Thank you, sir." He smiled. After a few moments, he got up.

"Well, I'll not keep you a minute longer. I'm sure your friends are wondering if you've disappeared." I was a little taken aback. _He's letting me go without punishing me?_

"Sir?" He looked at me, and it was as if he had read my mind again.

"I think that the point deduction was an adequate penalty for your actions. I expect you will be responsible enough to inform your parents of what you did." I nodded.

"Yes, sir. I'll write them tonight."

"And," he looked at me very seriously. "I trust that it will not happen again." I shook my head.

"Never again, sir. I give you my word." And I meant it. As I left the office and headed back to my common room, I felt warm inside. I felt foolish for being afraid of him. He really was a kind man who cared deeply for all of his students.

**0ooooooooooooo0**

_**Feel free to review! =D**_


	6. Parseltongue and Christmas

_**I'm back again, folks! Enjoy the show! =D**_

**loveforpotter-**** Thanks so much! I'm glad that you like this story, and I hope you enjoy ****OPAT****. Let me know what you think! =)**

**0oooooooooooooooo0**

I was immediately approached by Neville and Seamus when I returned to the common room.

"Blimey, Lace," Seamus said, "That was one long bathroom break!"

"Did something happen?" asked Neville. He looked down and noticed that my hand was red; it was still quite sore from my right-hook. "What happened to your hand?" I held it up and looked at it.

"I punched Malfoy." This instantly drew more attention from other people in the room. They all started asking a thousand questions.

"What'd he do?"

"Did you break his nose?"

"Did you knock out a tooth?"

"Did he cry?" I finally had to put up my hands.

"Okay, okay. I did it for personal reasons. That's all I'm saying." I worked my way through the people and went up to my dormitory. When I got there, I saw Hermione.

"Oh, hey," she said.

"Hi." I walked to my bed. After a few moments, she also noticed my hand.

"Lacey, what happened to your hand?" I looked at her.

"Okay. First, I want to add that I'm not proud of it." She silently beckoned me to continue. "Malfoy was talking rubbish to me about my family, so I punched him in the jaw." Hermione's eyes went wide. "Snape and McGonagall found us, and we both lost twenty points." I paused, expecting her to reprimand me. Instead, she smiled widely, walked over, and hugged me. After pulling back, she laughed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad you did that. He's deserved it for a while." I smiled and nodded.

"I agree." She turned around and headed for the door.

"I'll see you later."

"Okay." I glanced over at my bed. Belle was looking at me intently. I picked her up, and if she were human, I would say that I saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. 'I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." I finally saw a look on her face that a human would have if they were proud of someone.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Gather 'round! Gather 'round." Professor Lockhart was pacing down the large dueling table set up in the Great Hall. He was dressed in a fancy uniform with a flowing cape. "Can everybody see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent." I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes.

"In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start the Dueling Club to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves, as I myself have done on countless occasions." Then, I really did roll my eyes. When he threw his cloak into the crowd (resulting in it being caught by a girl), I silently scoffed. "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape." I turned to the other end of the table and saw Snape climb up. "He has sportingly agreed to help with a short demonstration. I don't want any of you youngsters to worry. You'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him. Never fear."

As the two teachers approached each other, I didn't know whose side I was on. On one hand, Lockhart had been annoying me and several others all year with his bragging. On the other hand, he never purposely put any of his students down to make them feel bad as Snape had. So I was torn.

The two men raised their wands in front of their faces and then put them down. They bowed, turned around, and went to their respective sides of the table. Lockhart started counting down after they assumed their attack positions.

"One...two...three!" Snape moved quickly.

"_Expelliarmus!_" A power surge shot from his wand and hit Lockhart in the chest, knocking him several feet back onto the ground. Next to me, Harry giggled.

"Do you think he's alright?" asked a concerned Hermione. Ron smiled.

"Who cares?" I smiled at this. After a few moments, Lockhart was back on his feet; he started walking towards Snape.

"An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy." _Wow,_ I thought. _Way to admit when you're wrong._

"Perhaps," said Snape, "It would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, professor."

"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape." As he turned to the students, I could tell that Lockhart was red-faced with embarrassment. "Let's have a volunteer pair. Potter, Weasley, how about you?" Harry started climbing up, but before Ron could, Snape spoke.

"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox." When I saw the look on Ron's face and heard the chuckles from the Slytherins, I felt my anger for Snape return. "Might I suggest someone from my own house?" My stomach turned, and I knew who he would pick before he said it. "Malfoy, perhaps?"

He summoned Malfoy onto the table. He and Harry started in on each other. Harry looked slightly nervous, while Malfoy was as arrogant as ever. The two boys stopped about a foot away from each other.

"Wands at the ready," said Lockhart. The boys raised their wands.

"Scared, Potter?" Harry glared at Malfoy.

"You wish." I couldn't stop myself from smiling. They both lowered their wands. After reaching their respective sides of the table, Lockhart spoke again. "On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent. _**Only**_ to disarm. We don't want any accidents here." Harry and Malfoy raised their wands. "One...two..." Malfoy suddenly shouted his incantation.

"_Everte Statum!_" Harry flew backwards and landed on his end of the table. I heard the Slytherins laugh at the other end, and even saw a small smile on Snape's face. However, Harry was on his feet in an instant.

"_Rictusempra!_" It was Malfoy's turn to fly backwards. He landed hard on his bottom at Snape's feet. Glaring down at him, he yanked him up by his hood and chucked him back at Harry.

"I said _disarm only!_" Lockhart shouted. But Malfoy wasn't done.

"_Serpensortia!_" Something flew from the end of Malfoy's wand and landed a few feet away from Harry. I gasped when I saw that it was a cobra.

"Don't move, Potter," said Snape, sauntering forward. "I'll get rid of it for you." But Lockhart had his own plan.

"Allow me, Professor Snape." He pointed his wand at the cobra. "_Alarte Ascendare!_" The snake flew up into the air, and then landed in front of a Hufflepuff boy named Justin. It hissed at him threateningly. Then, just when we thought things couldn't get more frightening, something else happened.

I heard a voice that sounded much like a snake's hiss; it spoke words that I didn't understand. I looked around for the source of the voice, and to my horror, the person speaking was Harry. _What in the name of..._ I glanced at Neville. He looked just as horrified. After a few moments, the snake turned to look at Harry. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Snape stepped forward.

"_Vipera Evanesca._" A spark flew out of his wand and hit the snake, instantly disintegrating it. I looked to Justin, who was glaring at Harry with anger and fright.

"What are you playing at?" he said, his voice shaky. All eyes were on Harry. Some were scared, some were angry, some were accusing, but most were just plain shocked. After a few moments, Harry climbed down from the table and ran out of the room. Ron and Hermione followed closely behind him.

I turned to the two professors.

"Well," said Lockhart, looking shaken. "That's all for today's lesson. You can all go." We started filing out of the Great Hall.

As I walked with Neville to our free period, I felt shocked.

"What do you think that was all about?" I asked Neville, not sure if he had an answer. But he did.

"I guess Harry's a Parselmouth." I had never heard that before.

"What's a Parselmouth?"

"It's someone that can talk to snakes." As I pondered this, Seamus and Dean came up next to us.

"Bloody hell, I never expected it to be Harry," Seamus said. I looked at him.

"Never expected what to be him?"

"The Heir of Slytherin," Dean said. I had heard several ridiculous things in my life, but that was pure rubbish.

"_What?_ No, that's not possible!"

"Well, maybe it is," said Seamus. "Salazar Slytherin could talk to snakes. Maybe Harry's related to him. It really might be him, Lace." I shook my head, refusing to believe what I was hearing. _It can't be true! Harry wouldn't do this! Would he?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Christmas came rather quickly that year. To _me_, at least. I was going home for Christmas, like always. Since Neville was doing the same thing, we got to talk for the train ride. At first, we just talked about classes, Quidditch, homework, the usual. Then, he decided to talk about something else.

"Lacey?"

"Hm?" He licked his lips and spoke.

"If you don't mind my asking...I know it's been a while since it happened and everything, but you never told me why you punched Malfoy." I looked down. "I understand if you don't want to tell me."

"Oh, no, it's fine." I took a breath. "Well, what happened is this. On my way back from the lavatory, I ran into him and his friends. He started ganging up on me, and then told me things his father had told him about my parents. He called my mother stupid for marrying 'trash.'" I suppressed a shiver. Neville looked at me with pity, and I continued. "He also called my father a Mudblood." A look of anger appeared on Neville's face.

"That was a _disgusting_ thing for him to say." I hadn't ever seen him look so angry before. He looked at me again. "Is that when you..."

"No. I had actually turned to leave, but then he started saying things about my sister. He said that is was because of her 'stupidity' that she died." I paused. "And that's when I punched him."

"I'm really sorry that happened, Lacey," Neville said.

"It's not your fault, Neville. I just...I really hate him."

"Me too." There was a beat. "Oh, by the way, have your dreams gone away?" I shook my head.

"No. They've been getting more frequent. I'm going to talk to my parents about it, though." He smiled and nodded.

"That's good."

"Yeah." I looked at him, and I saw that wonderful smile again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So, Lacey, are you ready to tell us why you did what you did?" My mother and father looked at me as we sat at the dinner table. Mum didn't look angry, but she wasn't joking around with me.

"Alright. Well, I had gone to use the bathroom. Malfoy stopped me on my way back and started...saying things." Dad exhaled.

"Words aren't a good reason to get violent, dear."

"I know, I'm sorry, but you should've heard what he said!"

"What were they?" Mum asked. I paused before continuing.

"Well, Dad," I said to my father, turning to look at him. "He called you a...Mudblood." His expression didn't change, but as I turned back to Mum, I was just in time to see a flicker of anger on her face. "And he said that you were 'stupid' because you married him." Mum nodded.

"Is that all he said?" I shook my head.

"No. He also said that Arabella died because of her 'stupidity.'" I got up and looked at both of them. "I know I shouldn't have done it, and I'm so sorry." I didn't expect my father to get up and embrace me.

"No, darling, _we're_ sorry. You shouldn't have to listen to that." Mum got up and hugged me after Dad was done.

"Just don't do anything like that again, unless you have to defend yourself. Understand?" I nodded.

"Yes, Mum." One thing I will never forget about those years were how wonderful my parents were.

**0oooooooooooooo0**

_**I hope you liked it! The next chapter will be up soon =D**_


	7. A Turn For the Worse

_**Hello again! I'm sorry it's been a few days, but I had to go to my camp. I also saw **__**DHP2**__** again, which was fun! Thanks for everyone's support!**_

**6.7.I.M.P.A.L.A.L.O.V.E-**** I'm really glad you enjoy it! And I share your admiration of dear precious Neville~ He is freakin' AWESOME! =D**

**Nestling-**** Wow, you're pulling the Neville-Greenhouse card? *blushes and looks down, smiling* I'm really flattered, thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it. =)**

**0oooooooooooooooooo0**

**The mobile was spinning rapidly above my head. There was a blinding flash of green light. I peered through the bars, and her dead eyes were gazing at me...**

I woke with a scream. Before I could climb out of bed, Mum was already in the room and sitting on the bed.

"Lacey! Baby, I'm here," she said, stroking my face as I got my breathing under control. "Did you have a bad dream?" I nodded.

"It's recurring," I stuttered. "I started having them a while ago, at Hogwarts."

"Oh, Lacey, why didn't you tell us before?" I shrugged.

"I thought they would go away." Mum nodded.

"What are the dreams about?" I hesitated.

"They're of Arabella. In the dream, I'm in a crib, and her...body's looking at me..." Mum instantly embraced me.

"My poor girl. I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone."

"It's alright. But I wasn't completely alone. I told Hermione about it. I also told Neville; they've both been great." She stroked my face lovingly.

"Lacey, I've wanted to tell you: I'm so happy that you feel so safe at that school." I nodded.

"Me too." I really _did _feel safe at Hogwarts. I thought that there wasn't a single thing that would ever change that.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Christmas day had come and gone, and before I knew it, we were back at Hogwarts. There was a sense of good cheer surrounding us, but deep down, everyone was worried. There had now been four attacks- Mrs. Norris, Collin Creevey from Gryffindor (he annoyed everyone with his camera, but he certainly didn't deserve to get Petrified), Nearly Headless Nick (he's a ghost, though), and that Hufflepuff boy, Justin. Nobody knew who was next.

Still, several optimistic Gryffindors tried to keep everyone's spirits up. Seamus always had the radio blasting in the common room, while Dean was trying to make friendly conversation with the first-years. As for me, I laid low like always. I just wasn't that good at talking to people I didn't know.

One day, I was walking to the Great Hall for lunch and I passed Harry. He was standing all by himself, leaning against the wall. I slowed down and stopped walking.

"Harry?" He looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Lace."

"Is everything okay?" He looked hesitant to speak. After a few moments, he shook his head.

"No, not really." I took a step towards him.

"Is it because of the attacks?" He looked down and nodded.

"It's just...I don't know."

"No, it's alright, I understand. You're upset that people are accusing you." He nodded.

"But Dumbledore said that he doesn't think I did it." I smiled.

"Just so you know, I don't think you did it either." He looked up at me and smiled.

"Thanks." There was a pause. "What class do you have now?"

"Oh, I've got a free period now. I was heading to the Great Hall. What about you?" He shrugged.

"Same here, but I don't think I can take any more 'That's him' looks." I walked over to him and took his hand.

"Don't be silly. You can sit with me and Neville." He looked at me reluctantly.

"Alright." So we walked to the Great Hall, where Neville and a few others were.

"Hi, Lacey! Hi, Harry." Harry smiled. We sat down, and Seamus started talking to Harry.

"Nervous for the next Quidditch game, mate?"

"A bit." I'm embarrassed to say that I had completely forgotten there was another game approaching. I was happy to be reminded of it, though. _At least it'll take our mind off of things._ I couldn't have been more wrong.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

We were out in the stands and everything was ready. But the Gryffindor team was nowhere to be seen. I turned to Neville.

"What do you think's taking them so long?" He shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe they're having uniform problems or something." I chuckled slightly, as did he. Then, a few minutes later, Professor McGonagall appeared with a uniformed Harry by her side.

"Mr. Weasley?" Next to me, Ron turned to look. "You and Mr. Potter will come with me." Gulping, Ron stepped forward. I looked at Harry.

"_What's going on?_" I mouthed to him.

"_I don't know,_" he mouthed back. After they left, I looked at Neville.

"Well, whatever's going on, I don't think it's the uniforms." Not a second later, Lee Jordan's voice boomed over us.

"Attention, audience. Due to unknown reasons, this Quidditch match has been canceled." We all groaned. "Please wait for a prefect to escort their respective houses back to their dormitories." After a few minutes, Percy Weasley came to us.

"Gryffindors, please follow me." We all started filing out of the stand. With every step, I became more and more worried. _If they canceled Quidditch, then this must be serious! It's as if there's been another-_ My heart sank as the possibility sunk in. _Please God, don't let it be so!_ But it was. Later that day, Professor McGonagall informed us that Hermione had been Petrified.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Everyone was in shock for the rest of the day. The common room was dead silent; usually, there was nonstop chattering and radio music. I guess the news about Hermione was a crushing blow on all of our spirits.

"Could I have your attention, please?" McGonagall walked into the common room, grasping a scroll of parchment. "Because of recent events, these new rules will be put into effect immediately." She unrolled the scroll and started reading from it. "'All students will return to their house common rooms by 6:00 every evening. All students will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No exceptions.'" She lowered the scroll and gazed grimly at all of us. "I should tell you this: unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught, it is likely the school will be closed."

My eyes went wide. With one more sorrowful glance, the professor turned and left the room. As soon as she left, everyone started talking to each other. It wasn't as loud as it used to be before the attacks started, but at least there was noise involved. I turned to Neville.

"This is awful!" he said to me. "What happened to Hermione's bad enough. They can't close the school!" I nodded.

"But you heard McGonagall. They just might do that." _But I hope they don't,_ I thought to myself. _I hope to God they don't. If Hogwarts is closed, I'll have to go back to Muggle school!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**"Arabella, love, we're home!" I stopped crying when I heard my mother's voice. She and Dad walked into the room. "Where are-" She stopped and stared at the body on the floor. She let out an agonized scream. My father looked equally anguished, but suddenly looked around.**

** "Where's Lacey? **_**Lacey?**_**" At that moment, the bluish shield around me vanished. Dad saw me and immediately picked me up. "Oh, Lacey darling! Abby, Lacey's here!" Mum got up from the floor and snatched me. I could see the blood on her hands from when she was cradling my sister's body. Then, my father went over to the window over the kitchen sink. The tap was still on. "Oh my God." Still carrying me, Mum went to stand next to Dad. Looking out the window, I saw a frightening image in the clouds. There was a skull, with a snake slithering from its mouth. The sign of death...the sigh of Voldemort...**

I woke with a start. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I instantly grabbed Belle and held her to me. I glanced around the room, my eyes landing on Hermione's empty bed. _How many more attacks will there be? What if someone gets killed? _I tried to comfort myself, thinking that it couldn't possibly get any worse. Wrong again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"_What?_" I stared wide-eyed at Ron and Harry at breakfast.

"It's true," Ron said, looking really worried.

"But Hagrid's harmless! Why would anyone think that _he'd_ done it?"

"That's not even the worst part," Harry said. I looked at him dreadfully. "The Ministry's dismissed Dumbledore." I looked up at Dumbledore's chair, and sure enough, it was empty.

"Why on Earth..."

"Malfoy's father saw to it," he said, the scorn evident in his eyes. I immediately felt bitter as well. Harry glanced at me before speaking again. "Listen, Lace, you won't...tell anyone that Ron and I were out last night, will you?" I shook my head.

"Absolutely not. I promise." I tried to concentrate on my waffles, but the news was too much to handle. _Dumbledore...gone? Who'll protect the students?_

After breakfast, we had Potions, which was fun as always. **Not.** All of the students were really on edge, especially the Gryffindors. But Snape had no sympathy. He deducted five points when Seamus, having put in one extra drop of Horklump juice, blew up his potion yet again. I looked down. _Okay, at this point, the school could explode and I wouldn't be surprised._

**0ooooooooooooo0**

_**I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit vague, but I really hope you liked it! **_

_**Also, just FYI-Beginning on July 30**__**th**__**, I will be going away for one week. I'll try to post the next chapter before then, but if you guys don't see another one before August 8**__**th**__** or 9**__**th**__**, that will be the reason. Fare thee well, all! =D**_


	8. Happy Returns

_**I'm back again! My film camp was SO MUCH FUN! Read on...**_

**0oooooooooooooo0**

The nightmares were growing worse. Despite talking my feelings through with Neville, they wouldn't go away. I was starting to think that they were signaling something really bad.

"Come now, Lacey," said Neville. "I'm sure that's not what it is."

"It could be," I said. "Why else would I start having these dreams now?" He was about to answer when Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly boomed through the loudspeaker.

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second-floor corridor immediately." We took one look at each other, got up, and headed back to the common room. We were soon faced with a huge group of Gryffindors that were trying to get in. After being pushed and shoved numerous times, I fought my way into the room.

"Bloody hell," I muttered. _Why is everyone so riled up?_ After a few moments, Neville stumbled in.

"Maybe there's been another attack!" I was instantly filled with dread.

"I really hope not." Finally, all of the Gryffindors were in the room. Almost everyone was saying that there had been an attack. Given the circumstances, I agreed with them. And it was true.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nobody slept that night. Everyone was scared. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was one of them. It was early morning when Professor McGonagall came in and addressed us.

"Excuse me, children." She looked over at the Weasley twins. "You two, please follow me. Your sister is waiting for you in the hospital wing." As the twins immediately got up and scurried over to the professor, it occurred to me that Ginny was not in the room. As I glanced around me, I realized that Ron wasn't there either. Neither was Harry. I immediately looked to Neville.

"They must have done something again!" I whispered.

"I wouldn't put it past them," Neville whispered back, a small grin forming on his face. I couldn't help but grin back.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The whole school had gotten the story by the afternoon. Harry and Ron had found the Chamber of Secrets and killed the monster. It turns out that it was a basilisk, which is an enormous serpent that can kill things simply by meeting their eyes directly.

However, the victims were only Petrified because they didn't look it directly in the eye. Also, Ginny was possessed by some diary and made to set the basilisk on Hermione, Justin, and the others.

And another thing happened. Apparently, Lockhart had lost his memory, and had no idea who he was. We heard that he was to be sent to St. Mungo's Hospital. I'm certainly glad he's not dead, but I'm also glad that he isn't our teacher anymore.

It was almost time for dinner. I walked down the stairs and into the common room. Once there, I saw that Harry was sitting on the sofa, staring at the fireplace. There wasn't anyone else in the room. I hesitantly took a step forward and spoke.

"Umm...hey, Harry." He glanced up at me.

"Hey, Lace." I smiled and walked next to the couch.

"Listen, I...I want you to know that I'm really glad you're alright." He smiled.

"Thanks." I smiled again and turned to leave. "Oh, Lacey!" I stopped and turned to him. "I, uh, wanted to tell you something, if you don't mind." I nodded and walked over.

"Not at all." He moved over, and I sat next to him on the couch.

"I just wanted to say something to you, because...well, given what happened to you, it's something that you should know." I nodded. "You remember hearing about the journal that possessed Ginny?"

"Yes."

"Well, the person controlling her was Voldemort." My blood ran cold at the mention of his name.

"Really?" He nodded. "Well, does that mean he's still alive?"

"I don't know," Harry said solemnly. "But if he's not dead, I'm sure he's powerless. For now, at least." I nodded and turned away. _Is that why I was having those dreams?_ Harry saw the look on my face.

"What is it?" I looked back at him and tried to find the right words.

"Well, not too long after we came back to school, I started having...dreams." I paused for a moment. "They were about my sister...and the night she was killed." Harry looked at me and nodded understandingly.

"I see."

"And after hearing this from you, I'm wondering if my having these dreams had something to do with...Voldemort." I had trouble saying that horrible name.

"Perhaps they did." I nodded.

"Well, maybe now that he's gone...for the moment, they'll stop." Harry nodded.

"I hope they do, Lacey. You shouldn't have to relive that night." I nodded and looked away. _I don't want to be afraid of going to sleep anymore._ I looked back to Harry.

"So, are you going to the feast?" He nodded.

"Yeah." We got up at the same time and left the common room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Having dinner that night is one of my favorite memories. Not too long after I sat down, I saw that Colin Creevey was back.

"Colin! Great to see you again!" He smiled and nodded his thanks.

"Isn't it great?" Neville asked me. "They've started reviving everyone!" I looked over a few tables and saw that Justin had also recovered. So had Mrs. Norris and Nearly Headless Nick. I looked around some more, because there was still one more person that I simply couldn't find. I didn't have to look for long. "Harry!" Neville exclaimed, addressing Harry. "It's Hermione!" All of us looked over to the door.

Hermione was standing there with a large grin on her face, looking like nothing had ever gone wrong with her. Harry and Ron jumped up from their seats as Hermione ran towards them. I smiled as she embraced Harry warmly. When she and Ron had an awkward handshake, I turned away to avoid giggling. Looking at Neville, I smiled.

"Looks like everyone's back now." Suddenly, Professor McGonagall tapped her goblet with a spoon.

"Could I have your attention, please?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down just as Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat.

"Before we begin the feast, let us have a round of applause for Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey, whose Mandrake juice has been so successfully administered to all who had been Petrified." The whole room started clapping enthusiastically. The two professors mentioned bowed shyly. "Also," continued the Headmaster, "in light of the recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been canceled." At this, all of the students cheered loudly. That is, everyone except Hermione.

"Oh, no," she whined. I couldn't help but smile. Neville looked at me with pure joy. I mirrored the look.

Then, I happened to glance over at the teacher's table, and I saw Snape. He looked rather angry. I smiled gleefully, as I knew that he had planned an extra-hard exam for us. Everyone was settling down again when the doors opened suddenly. My eyes lit up when I saw who it was.

"Sorry I'm late." Hagrid walked in, looking rather pleased. He started walking down the center aisle. "The owl that delivered my release papers got all lost and confused. Some ruddy bird called Errol." I chuckled and glanced at Ron; it was his owl that Hagrid was referring to. Hagrid suddenly stopped and glanced down at Hermione, Harry, and Ron. "And I'd just like to say that if it hadn't been for you, Harry, and Ron, and Hermione, of course, I would...still be you-know-where, so I'd just like to say thanks." Suddenly, Harry got up and gazed at the giant man.

"There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid." Then, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around as much of Hagrid as he could. Hagrid responded by patting his head and returning the gesture. As I watched them, I felt incredibly warm inside.

I heard the sound of someone clapping. Turning to the teacher's table, I saw that it was the Headmaster. After that, more and more people started to clap. I immediately started clapping, and when cheering was added, I was all too happy. Soon, the whole room, with the exception of most of the Slytherins, had erupted with applause. Hagrid looked down at the many students that were now surrounding him, and he raised his fists in victory.

Hagrid was, and still is today, an incredibly kind fellow. And what Harry said couldn't be more correct. There really isn't any Hogwarts without Hagrid.

**0ooooooooooooooo0**

_**Sorry it was a bit short, but I was in such a hurry to update for you guys. I hope you liked it! **_


	9. Dreamless Sleep

_**Here's the final chapter of this story. I really hope you enjoy it!**_

**the white princess-**** Thanks a lot, I'm really glad you like it! I'll post Chapter 1 of my third story ASAP (see below for the title) =D**

**Coming soon- ****Of Anger and Textbooks**

**0ooooooooooooooooooo0**

After dinner was over, we went back to our respective common rooms. Once the Gryffindors got into ours, most of them went straight to bed. But I didn't want to sleep yet, even though I was incredibly exhausted. I was afraid of having another horrible nightmare. Needless to say, I was the last remaining person in the common room. It took all of my strength to not fall asleep.

"Lacey, you have to go to bed." I glanced up. Hermione was in the stairwell leading to the girl's dormitories. She was still dressed in her robes, as was I.

"I can't." I heard her walk to the back of the couch and stop behind me. Being so on edge, I almost flinched when she put a gentle hand on my shoulder. I sighed deeply. "Alright." I got up and headed toward the girl's dorm with Hermione. That night, with Belle curled up next to me, I enjoyed a long sleep without a single dream.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few days later, it was finally time to return home. It had been a very eventful school year, but after all that had occurred, I was ready to see Mum and Dad again. After breakfast, everyone headed down to the train station. On my way, I turned around and took one last look at the castle. _Goodness,_ I thought to myself, _I shouldn't get so sentimental about this. I'll be back again in just a few months!_ But I couldn't help it.

I watched the castle disappear as the train picked up speed. Laying a hand on Belle's head (who was sitting next to me in the compartment), I sighed deeply. From the bench across from me, Neville sighed as well.

"I can't believe we're going home already," he said.

"Me neither." I smiled at him. "Neville, I have great news." Interested, he shifted in his seat.

"What?"

"I didn't have a nightmare last night." He smiled widely.

"Lacey, that's _great!_ Do you think they're over?" I shrugged.

"I certainly hope so," I said with a deep sigh. I looked out the window as the trees flew by. _But what if what Harry said was right? What if my having those dreams had something to do with the fact that Voldemort was wreaking havoc?_ I suddenly felt worried. _Well, in that case, if Voldemort isn't dead, I haven't had my last nightmare._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The train pulled up to King's Cross station. I practically threw myself off as soon as it stopped. As soon as I was off, I nearly ran into Augusta Longbottom.

"Hello there, Miss Ravensdale." I smiled anxiously.

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom." Behind me, Neville scrambled off the train. When he saw his grandmother, a look of fright appeared on his face.

"Hello, Gran." Mrs. Longbottom looked at her grandson sternly.

"There you are. Come along, boy." As she went to leave, Neville turned towards me.

"I'll see you, Lacey." As he smiled at me, his plump cheeks rose higher onto his face. I smiled back.

"Bye, Neville. Have a good summer." No sooner had we parted ways did I turn and see the grinning faces of my parents a few feet away. "Mum! Daddy!" I threw myself into the arms of my mother and father. As they embraced me, I could hear Mum chuckling heartily into the side of my face. They backed away. "I missed both of you so much." Mum smiled.

"Let's get you home."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So that's it? You didn't have another dream?"

"No." I was sitting in between Mum and Dad on the couch at home. Dad sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad." Mum stroked my hair lovingly.

"But honey, listen to me." I looked up at her. "If you ever start having these nightmares again, I want you to tell us. Alright?" I nodded. "I'm just so glad you're safe." I snuggled closer to my parents and closed my eyes. The faces of my friends flashed in my mind. _Yes,_ I thought to myself. _They make it all worth it. _I smiled.

**0oooooooooooooooooo0**

_**I hope you've enjoyed this story! Thanks for everyone's lovely reviews and support. I'll post the first chapter to the next story ASAP (see above for the title) =D**_


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